Three DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Announcements The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has three announcements for suppliers that are interested in participating in the Round 2 and national mail-order competitions of the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program. First, bid limits in the Round 2 Bid Preparation Worksheets have been revised for 14 Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes for power wheelchairs (K0813 through K0829). The previous bid limits listed in the worksheet were erroneously based on 150 percent of the actual bid limits. Second, we have made three clarifying updates to the list of glucose monitors on the 50 Percent Compliance Form, a required bid document for the national mail-order competition:
1. ASCENSIA AUTO DISC has been consolidated with ASCENSIA BREEZE 2. (ASCENSIA AUTO DISC is no longer manufactured but uses the same test strips as the ASCENSIA BREEZE 2.) 2. FREESTYLE FLASH has been consolidated with FREESTYLE and FREESTYLE FREEDOM. (FREESTYLE FLASH is no longer manufactured but uses the same test strips as FREESTYLE and FREESTYLE FREEDOM.) 3. Protégé has been consolidated with SMARTEST. (Protégé is no longer manufactured but uses the same test strips as SMARTEST.) Third, CMS would like to remind potential bidders that four adjustable seat cushion codes (E2622 through E2625) have been removed from the Round 2 standard wheelchairs product category. The Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) has deleted these codes from the bidder education materials. All of these updates are now available on the CBIC website, www.dmecompetitivebid.com/<http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/>. ________________________________ Flu Season is Here! While seasonal flu outbreaks can happen as early as October, flu activity usually peaks in January. Remind your patients that annual vaccination is recommended for optimal protection. Medicare pays for the seasonal flu vaccine and its administration for seniors and others with Medicare with no co-pay or deductible. Healthcare workers, who may spread the flu to high risk patients, should get vaccinated too. Don't forget to immunize yourself and your staff. Protect your patients. Protect your family. Protect yourself. Get the Flu Vaccine-Not the Flu. Remember - The flu vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. CMS has posted the 2011-2012 seasonal flu vaccine payment limits at http://www.CMS.gov/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/10_VaccinesPricing.asp. Note that the flu vaccine is NOT a Part D-covered drug. For more information on coverage and billing of the flu vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational provider resources, visit http://www.CMS.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp and http://www.cms.gov/immunizations. ________________________________ Note: If you have problems accessing any hyperlink in this message, please copy and paste the URL into your Internet browser. If you know someone who would like to subscribe to a Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) provider listserv, go to (http://www.cms.gov/prospmedicarefeesvcpmtgen/downloads/Provider_Listservs.pdf). If you would like to unsubscribe from a specific provider listserv, please go to (https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?INDEX) to unsubscribe or to leave the appropriate listserv. Please DO NOT respond to this email. This email is a service of CMS and routed through an electronic mail server to communicate Medicare policy and operational changes and/or updates. Responses to this email are not routed to CMS personnel. Inquiries may be sent by going to (http://www.cms.gov/ContactCMS). Thank you.
